Guardian
by kao-dreams
Summary: She doesn't notice the longing gaze he casts over her shoulder to the woman his affection truly belongs to.


"Hanabusa, my feet hurt."

He doesn't respond to his wife's soft complaint, instead focusing on smiling as the couple enters the room first. Shortly after them comes the main couple, Kaname and Yuki, earning far more stares than Aidou with his dull wife. Or at least, he thinks she is. To others she is far from plain, a beauty almost (_almost_ being the key word) more beautiful than the pureblood queen, Kuran Yuki.

The two couples are expected to dance in the center of the floor, and they do so, Kaname whirling _his_ clumsy wife around in a way that makes her seem elegant. Aidou knows she is not and resents his own wife for being so ladylike. She doesn't understand the bitter look he tosses her and she pouts.

"Hanabusa, you should not be making a face like that," she scolds him, keeping her smile of nobility in place. Her expression and words are at odds with each other; then again, so is the rest of her, Aidou thinks. Sweet on the outside, devil on the inside. She purposefully misses a step and digs her heel into his foot. At his glare, she giggles, "Oh, I am so clumsy!"

"You are as graceful as a swan," he hisses into her ear as they pull close to each other. Their gazes meet, fierce and hateful from Aidou. Despite her aloof attitude, it's not as if the wife feels no pain at these less-than-happy glances. "A noble should not pretend otherwise."

She sucks in a sharp breath as he dips her unexpectedly, leaving her feeling as if she is about to fall, but she reluctantly puts her trust in him and follows his lead. Aidou snaps her back up harshly, throwing her into a spin immediately afterwards and then bringing her back with a rough tug. The air is knocked from her lungs when her back hits his chest, his arms wrapping around her. They sway gently.

"Pretend that you can tolerate me for one night, Hanabusa," she requests of him, allowing a bit of desperation to sneak into her voice.

As he untangles the woman from his hold, Aidou starts dancing normally, his eyes cold but a fake smile in place. His wife is pleased that he has realized the error in his behavior and no longer pays attention to him, just their dancing. She doesn't notice the longing gaze he casts over her shoulder to the woman his affection truly belongs to.

Yuki flashes him a sweet him and Aidou cannot take it any longer. The pureblood queen's face falters as he releases himself from his wife and begins to weave his way through the crowd. Distantly, he can hear her call his name.

"Aidou-senpai!"

But he doesn't stop, his brisk pace leading him quickly to a stairwell that heads up to the rooftop. Eyeing it, Aidou decides that he doesn't want to go back to the party where Yuki is happily being twirled by her one and only, where she laughs with the only one she loves. He grits his teeth and starts up the stairs when a familiar scent is behind him. Slowly turning, he finds himself looking into the confused gaze of the pureblood queen. His heart clenches painfully when there is a man attached to her hand.

"Aidou-senpai, please come back," Yuki begs. "Mina-chan is worried about you."

"Then why are you the one coming after me?" he demands.

Kaname looks at his subordinate coolly. Something in the way he regards Aidou makes the blonde think that he _knows_. Maybe not his exact feelings, but there is something in his eyes. "I will keep Mina-san company until you calm down," he says and lets go of Yuki's hand a bit reluctantly. Kaname disappears to the dance floor and Yuki smiles at Aidou.

"Is there anything you'd like to get off your chest?" she asks, trying to be helpful. Her earnest gaze almost breaks Aidou.

He wants to tell her, _I get so scared when you're hurt._ He wants to let her know, _I think you were always beautiful._ He wants her to realize, _I never realized how much I needed you until I didn't have you anymore._ He wants to say, _I love you._ Aidou looks back at her with miserable eyes, wishing that she could hear his thoughts. But Yuki was never the most perceptive person and she just tilts her head curiously, the strands of her bun that had come loose brushing against her cheek.

Suddenly, he laughs at himself. It's a ridiculous notion that such a person could ever be his. Resigned to watching her be happy from afar, Aidou comes to the conclusion that his place is only to be her guardian. As long as he can make sure of her happiness, he is content seeing her smiling face. His eyes rest on the wall beyond which Kaname is dancing with the wife he so detests, and thinks, _If you hurt her again, I will snatch her away and make her happier than you ever did._

Looking back at Yuki, his blue eyes soften, and he shakes his head. He takes a step closer to her and holds out a hand. "Nothing is wrong," he promised. "I just wanted an excuse to dance with you." He finishes by winking, pleased by the light blush that appears on Yuki's cheeks.

Out on the floor, the song has turned into a slow dance. Now everyone is dancing and Yuki comfortably lays her head on Aidou's chest. He is truly content in that moment, holding Yuki's small, slender body close to his. Feeling her warmth, her breath, her scent. He cannot imagine why Kaname ever left her once, but he knows that if it was him, he would never so much as let her out of his sight. Aidou places a kiss on Yuki's head, ignoring the rest of the world. If they were staring, let them stare at a man who is happy for the first time in years.


End file.
